Day 86

It has been a while since I have posted. My absence has been due to several things - school has started and I am taking 4 classes at the community college this semester, I have had a lot of jobs over the last two weeks, and a good friend - and former pastor of the church I go to - passed away a few days ago.

Though I have been keeping busy with work, it has not been the kind of housework that keeps me moving - I spent two six hour days doing nothing but washing dishes by hand. Time at home has been spent staying off my feet to rest the bad knee, and the depression over losing my friend has brought me to a standstill.

There have been few positive changes in my health - but there has been no negative changes from the lack of exercise either. Up until the last week, my left knee has been giving me a lot of problems, and my time away from work and my two on-campus classes has been spent sitting around and snacking more than usual. Even with the added stress and lack of exercise, my blood pressure has pretty much remained in the area of 138/98, and I am still only taking DE without any of the other supplements to lower the blood pressure.

One thing that has totally amazed me though, is that even with dealing with the grief and depression of losing my friend, my energy levels for work and school have remained high. The first day of working a temporary job cleaning a house that is covered in dust from renovations, I drank a 5-hour energy drink at the beginning of the day and got through a 7-hour day with no other caffeine needed once the energy drink wore off. That day was basic housecleaning and it was not an easy day.

The next week, school started, my friend passed away, and the work schedule went nuts. Even with a lack of sleep, I got through the remaining work and school days only drinking coffee in the mornings and cola later in the day. No energy drinks needed. Most of the time I drank water during work and school, and nothing else to keep me going. Still, my energy level was high enough to keep me going under circumstances that would have had me rushing for the energy drinks before I started taking DE.

As I type this, my right knee is back to being pretty much normal, and my left knee is much improved. No brace or bandage needed, and I am not limping. I do have to be careful when lifting heavy objects though, and I need to hold onto something when coming up the steps into the house. I still would not even dream of going up a flight of stairs, and if the elevators at the school quit working, there is no way I would be able to get to my classes. But I can walk all the way across the campus without problems.